Ubud……..one museum day and one ricefield day

October 27th….lovely morning and excellent breakfast > many choices and quite filling, btw Balinese coffee (locally grown) is quite good, so no suffering in that regard.

After consulting the map we are off for a cultural morning excursion to visit the Agung Rai Museum of Art, otherwise known as ARMA .

It is an interesting concept, striving to find a balance between man and environment. The museum is dedicated to the preservation of Balinese as well as Indonesian art, and the encouragement of Balinese artists through a learning center. It also includes a wellness center and a resort. There is an ARMA Foundation made up of Indonesian and foreign donors helping to finance the cultural endeavour with the resort serving as a further cash generator in this regard.

The grounds are really more of a botanical garden and we spent time not only looking at the artwork and artists at work;

….but also strolling and enjoying the gardens:

 

…and also peeked in at some of the villa locations:

The price of the entry ticket included an invitation to have a tea or coffee in one of their restaurants……..which we enjoyed at the end of our visit. We then had a bonus as the owner Agung Rai approached us, asking how we were, where we were from etc. and spoke a bit to us about his goals and aspirations for the museum et al. Below is a pic of Agung Rai discussing a promising artist (so he said) painting:

He invited us to enjoy the grounds and suggested a “shortcut” to return to Tebesaya Cottage by way of a path across the nearby rice paddies…..

School’s out for the morning……..and the kids race off, many on their Scoopy’s (Honda) and available for 20 million Rp or 2000 Cad > financing available with 30% down…in these parts there are no school buses, so either mom or dad deliver/pick-up or you have your own wheels:

By the time we got back we opted for pooltime rather than lunchtime….

…..then an early dinner at the Warung Melting Pot where we chatted with the owner a French woman from Reunion and her husband from Laos who was the chef. A superb fusion of Laotian, Balinese flavours overlaid with a touch of French panache.

Our best meal of the trip > with a couple of beers we walked away roughly 13Cad poorer. The world of Tripadvisor sure makes things less chancy !!! Suffice to say the place was packed and without a reservation you are out of luck !! Sauntered back with a happy, happy feeling and called it a night.

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October 28th.….time is flying…another sunny morning, another excellent breakfast this time opting for yummy pineapple pancakes, fruit salad with yoghurt and strong Balinese coffee…..a good base for some hiking. A short negotiation for a taxi and we are soon near the Gunang Lebah Temple.

 

Nice setting ……….and the start of the Campuhan Ridge Walk…..

……a quite cool walk but the heat is on and we are glad we have our hats and water. Soon the path rises and we are on the ridge affording some nice views:

The only way to enjoy things here is to do them slowly….so after a while we declare a reinvigoration stop at a trailside warung which also had cottages:

Feeling refreshed we continue and complete the out and back of the Campuhan Ridge Trail.

Back in town still relatively frisky, we decide to do another walk through the nearby ricefields.

our objective being the locally highly regarded Sari Organic Restaurant …..

……no this is not a foodie excursion but a serious walk haha….. A really nice lunch in a chill atmosphere and although my toes are not completely in agreement, we decide to complete the loop…another 4 kms. At the warung a French couple with a rambunctious toddler were relieved of their burden by a waiter for at least 20 minutes, giving the couple some relief to finish their lunch. Everywhere we go we see the smiles and positive attitude of the Balinese….be they young or old…..even when you say no to a hawker they will generally smile back at you!!

Lots of little homestays and villas where you can stay although a bit out of town…..definitely scooter country.

As well there are many retreat Centers and Yoga facilities…Kat there is a place for you here:

…no shortage of rice fields and you can certainly see the engineering skills these folks have developed to circulate the water through the fields:

 

…everywhere you go you can see the interplay between the people and their gods particularly the offers to the various entities by both young and to the various entities by both young and the old:

Well all good things come to an end and we are back at the Tebesaya Cottages not surprisingly a bit pooped…… thank god for A/C and ice-cold Radlers > for the uninitiated this is beer infused with either lemon or grapefruit juice …mighty refreshing in this super hot & humid climate. Something that should be introduced in Florida…distributor rights for Bintang Radler in Fla…???

Starting to feel the hunger we set off and Annie suffers a misfortune slipping and falling on some loose gravel near a construction site…some loss of dignity and some knee pain. But we do find a French creperie and enjoy crepes and beers in a jungle garden setting …..short chat with the young French owner who has been here for 4 years and is loving it, and it is time to call it a day.

By the way thanks for the comments and if you have any suggestions as to content etc. ….bigger pics whatever, give us a shout!!